Veterans Day 2012: November 11

Veterans
Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary
of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance,
and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a
way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military
veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes
place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Veterans Day by the numbers:

21.5 million—the number of military
veterans in the United States in 2011;

9.2 million—the number of veterans 65 and older in 2011;

1.8 million—the
number of veterans younger than 35;

3—the number of states with one million or more veterans in 2011 (California,
Florida and Texas);

9.1 million—the number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2011.

These are great numbers about veterans. On Veterans Day, its especially important to remember veterans and really help bring them into view. Pick Up Please in partnership with the Vietnam Veterans of America created an infographic with lots of other meaningful stats and facts about veterans not mentioned here. Check it out at http://www.pickupplease.org/facts-about-veterans-infographic